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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29870736">Suffocating Darkness</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/pietrostits/pseuds/pietrostits'>pietrostits</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bucky Barnes Has Nightmares, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Cute, F/M, Fluff, One Shot, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Steve Rogers, Sleepy Cuddles, Steve Rogers Fluff, Stucky - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 01:54:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,510</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29870736</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/pietrostits/pseuds/pietrostits</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky Barnes suffers from nightmares and he hates to ‘bother’ Steve</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Suffocating Darkness</h2></a>
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    <p>Bucky tosses and turns in bed, his nightmare agitating him to the point where even in his sleep he can’t rest. He feels tortured when he can’t even find solace in the most common escape, in sleep, something that’s meant to bring peace to the tired mind. </p><p>He suddenly jolts awake, the painful memories becoming too overwhelming to keep enduring. The scream he lets when he wakes should have woken the whole tower, it ripped through his chest like he was being tortured all over again. He had never been so glad that he had asked Tony to soundproof his room. </p><p>The room he’s now lying awake in, all alone. Everything seems so imposing and terrifying in the darkness after a nightmare. Things that during the day he finds comfort and joy in now irk him. He hates being alone after his nightmares, it reminds him of when he would be woken up and as he remembers the feeling, his body involuntarily shudders.</p><p>He tries laying there, he tries falling asleep again but the darkness outside him and inside him are becoming increasingly suffocating and he just can’t handle it right now. He can’t do this. As much as Bucky Barnes hates admitting defeat, he can’t take this much longer. </p><p>With a defeated sigh he shuffles his way out of bed and sits at the edge of the bed, bare feet on the cold floor sending a chill down his spine. He shakes off the feeling and looks back at his bed once more as if contemplating if he can handle the situation himself before deciding that he can’t. It’s too much. He has tears building up in his eyes, threatening to spill but he won’t let them. He can’t let his emotions control him. </p><p>His metal arm reaches out and grabs his pillow before he gets up and slowly wanders out of his room. Even with his improved vision from the serum the dark still unsettles him, it reminds him of times he would rather forget. </p><p>Slowly he makes his way along the corridor and to the elevator calling it up to his floor and clutching his pillow tightly between his hands. When the elevator stops on his floor he steps in, pressing the number for the floor below his own.</p><p>When he reaches the floor and the door opens he looks back at the buttons contemplating returning upstairs before taking a deep breath and stepping out. He doesn’t know why he’s so nervous. Steve would never be mad at him for this but he doesn’t want to wake up Steve, it makes him feel guilty. </p><p>Steve needs his sleep and Bucky knows that. What he doesn’t know is that Steve would lose every second of sleep to make sure Bucky is okay. As Bucky slowly walks down the corridor, he keeps looking around, despite the fact that he knows there’s no one else there. They couldn’t be, he’s on Steve’s floor. </p><p>Bucky reaches Steve’s door and it’s not fully closed, so he slowly pushes it open and cracks a small smile as the little light from the corridor shines into the room and reveals Steve sleeping peacefully on his back. His hair, that much to Bucky’s delight is growing slightly longer, messily sticking around in all sorts of directions, while still looking impossibly soft. His lips slightly parted and letting out soft breaths, in time with the rise and fall of his bare chest, exposed by the fact that he had pushed the blankets down to his waist in his sleep. </p><p>Bucky can’t help but admire Steve, he wouldn’t change a thing about him but sometimes he thinks back to how he was before the war, small but determined to prove himself to the world. His smile grows slightly at the memories, mostly pleasant ones, of Steve sat in a chair, Bucky cleaning him up and reprimanding him slightly for almost giving him a heart attack after getting himself in quite the sticky situation. </p><p>He can’t help it though when the negative memories push their way through to the front of his mind, the fall, the tests, the experiments, the violence, the torture, the crushed hope, the feeling of his resolve breaking and not being able to push back anymore. Before he knows, the tears that had threatened to spill earlier return, he steps into Steve’s room and closes the door completely. </p><p>He slowly creeps his way over to Steve’s bed, his feet barely making any noise as he moves very slowly as to not wake him up. He lays his pillow down on the empty half of the bed and as carefully as he can, he lays down, his metal arm making it slightly harder to do so gracefully.</p><p>He doesn’t want to bother Steve so he curls up on ‘his’ side of the bed, trying to take up the least possible space. Steve’s presence in the room brings him some comfort, allowing him to relax a little more now. He tries to fall asleep but still struggles but this time he doesn’t toss and turn how he usually would, he lays still, listening to Steve’s even breaths and his heartbeat that his enhanced hearing can slightly pick up on. </p><p>Not even 10 minutes later and Steve opens his eyes slowly, something feels different. He slowly turns his head to the side and spots Bucky. He would normally be overjoyed but the sight is a sad one. Bucky curled up tight in a corner of his bed, above the blankets to cause the least disturbance possible. </p><p>He slowly reaches over and places a hand on his regular arm. His touch is gentle but still enough to startle Bucky and Steve feels his body tense up under his touch. He smiles sadly “hey, it’s okay Buck, it’s just me, just Steve” he says quietly, keeping his voice quiet and calm. </p><p>Bucky froze for a moment knowing he has been caught, the guilt was immediate, he had woken up Steve, the guilt came first. Then came the comfort, Steve’s touch, his voice, his words all served to comfort his turbulent mind. Bucky just nods slightly, still trying to hold back those same tears from earlier and not trusting his voice. </p><p>Steve understands, he slowly wraps his arm around Bucky’s waist and pulls him flick to his own body. Bucky’s back pressed against his chest and he frowns “was it another nightmare darling?” he asks and just receives a nod from Bucky. Steve understands, it’s not the first time this has happened, he knows Bucky needs him and well he always needs Bucky so he’s happy to be there with him.</p><p>Steve rests his head against Bucky’s, his eyes closed and his hand subconsciously drawing soft shapes on his hip “You’re okay now darling, you’re with me now. You’re safe” he whispers to him, that’s all it takes for the tears that were threatening to spill to roll down Bucky’s cheeks. Quiet sobs wrack his body as he tries to contain it, he tries to minimise what he’s exposing Steve to, he doesn’t want him to know the ugly truth. </p><p>Steve doesn’t care “that’s it, let it all out” he tells him, encouraging Bucky to let out his emotions. They lay like that for a while. Bucky crying, letting out his emotions that desperately needed to escape and Steve holding him, comforting him, reassuring him. He never tells him to stop crying, he never tells him that it’s okay now, he knows it’s not okay yet, he knows they still have a way to go but he wants Bucky to know that he will be there the whole way. In that moment Steve is the only thing holding Bucky together, he feels as if he lets go of Bucky he will physically fall apart in front of him so he holds onto him, with no intention of letting go. </p><p>“Thank you Stevie” Bucky mumbles quietly after his crying had subsided to occasional hiccups. Steve smiles “you know I’m with you ‘till the end of the line” he replies and Bucky nods “with you ‘till the end of the line love”. Steve smiles and turns to lay on his back, Bucky Moving along with him to lay his head on Steve’s chest, the sound of his heartbeat relaxing him. Bucky feels a hand on his cheek, Steve’s thumb wiping the last of his tears and his hand tilting his head up. His eyes close when he feels Steve’s soft lips press against his own. </p><p>The kiss is gentle but full of feelings that Steve doesn’t know if he’s capable of verbally expressing. The kiss says it all and Bucky understands, he understands because the feelings are reciprocated by him. Steve pulls back shortly after and gives Bucky a soft kiss on the forehead “rest love” he tells him, both of them closing their eyes. The last thing Bucky feels before drifting off is Steve’s hand coming up to rest over the top of his own metal hand resting on his chest.</p>
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